Arkansas’ Berman elected to board of National APEX Accelerator Alliance
“In my new role, I can advocate for the entire membership." — Melanie Berman
By Mary Hightower
U of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture
April 12, 2024
Fast facts:
- Berman elected to two-year term as secretary
- Berman has headed Arkansas APEX Accelerator since 2017
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(Newsrooms: With art)
LITTLE ROCK — Melanie Berman, director of the Arkansas APEX Accelerator, has been
elected to the board of the NAPEX, National APEX Accelerator Alliance.
The Arkansas APEX Accelerator provides government contracting technical assistance
to Arkansas businesses. NAPEX is the national association of APEX Accelerator organizations.
Berman’s term as secretary will be two years.
“I am so excited and honored to be elected secretary to the NAPEX, National APEX Accelerator Alliance, board of directors,” Berman said. “I previously served as regional director on the board and am overjoyed to return as an executive committee member.”
Berman said she joined the board to learn more about the member association and advocate for her region's members.
“In my new role, I can advocate for the entire membership,” she said. “I see great things for our organization in the future. We have fantastic leaders who are committed to equality and transparency. I want us to continue keeping an open line of communication between our federal funders and members of NAPEX. I want all members to feel welcome to speak to leadership as we are a member-based organization, and ultimately, we are here for them.”
Berman joined the Arkansas APEX Accelerator as program director in January 2017. She holds an undergraduate degree in communications and a graduate degree in Public Administration. Melanie served as both an AmeriCorps volunteer and a Peace Corps volunteer. She managed multiple federally funded awards and served as an awards officer for an international non-governmental organization before coming to the Arkansas APEX Accelerator.
She served as the Region 8 director for the Association of Procurement Technical Assistance Centers for three years before recruiting her replacement. Region 8 consists of Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and New Mexico. Berman currently serves on the Curriculum Committee, working to develop a program manager onboarding curriculum from the ground up.
As secretary, Berman will keep minutes of NAPEX annual member meetings, board meetings of the Board of Directors, and meetings of the executive committee. She will also keep members apprised of meetings and oversees the Bylaws and Communications Committee.
Arkansas APEX Accelerator is part of the Community, Professional, and Economic Development Department of the Cooperative Extension Service, the outreach arm of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. The APEX Accelerator is funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the Department of Defense.
To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on X and Instagram at @AR_Extension. To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu. Follow on X at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on X at @AgInArk.
About the Division of Agriculture
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land grant education system.
The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on five system campuses.
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs and services without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.
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Media contact: Mary HIghtower
mhightower@uada.edu